Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2002 / iii / Paper 71 / 5 / a / Solution

Put $\mathcal{H}=a^{\prime }/a$ and choose the residual synchronous frame comoving with cold dark matter, so ${\mathbf{v}}_C=0$. Its Euler equation preserves this choice. The continuity equation then gives ${\delta }_C^{\prime }=h^{\prime }/2$. Neglect background baryon pressure and all unenhanced corrections of order $c_s^2$, but retain $c_s^2{k}^2$ because a short wavelength can make it important. The trace equation becomesUsing $h^{\prime }=2{\delta }_C^{\prime }$ provesFor baryons let ${\theta }_B=i\mathbf{k}\cdot {\mathbf{v}}_B$. The retained continuity and Euler terms are ${\delta }_B^{\prime }=-{\theta }_B+h^{\prime }/2$ and ${\theta }_B^{\prime }+\mathcal{H}{\theta }_B-c_s^2{k}^2{\delta }_B=0$. Differentiate the first and substitute the second:HenceThe pressure sign is stabilizing. The drag terms contain first derivatives of the density perturbations, as printed in the PDF; those primes are lost in the converted TeX. The approximation assumes slowly varying nonrelativistic background baryon pressure and the growing physical mode, not a residual synchronous gauge mode.